Florblanca in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Borrowing its name from the Spanish phrase meaning "white flower", Costa Rica's Florblanca invites you to delight in all that nature has to offer with an idyllic oceanfront luxury resort. Along the warm, white sands of Playa Santa Teresa, this stunning all-villa resort combines the unsurpassed beauty of nature with the elegant charm of an opulent coastal getaway. Within the past year, each of Florblanca's 11 private villas have been stylishly remodeled, from the furniture to the details in the décor. Each villa is a haven of comfort and style, bathed in soothing earth tones, and regional Latin flair. Rooms come complete with lavish complimentary elements like plush bathrobes, an in-room safe, and iPod/iPad speakers. The captivating garden bathroom opens under a brilliant, blue sky, while the call of the stone soaking tub is too enticing to ignore.

To match the pure opulence of the resort's villas, Florblanca's lavish amenities leave nothing to be desired. Take relaxation to new levels at Spa Bambu, or bring the luxury to you with an in-suite massage. The stunning waterfall pool sets the scene for an afternoon of lounging and cocktails among fragrant birds-of-paradise and beautiful heliconias. Do not let the need to dine distract you from taking in the beauty of Costa Rica; Florblanca offers beachfront food and drink service, so you may greet the day and watch the sunset all without having to leave the comforts of the beach. Adventurous travelers may opt for a more active way to spend the day: from horseback riding, surfing, and kayaking to discovering the region's magnificent waterfalls, activities are abundant around Florblanca. In nature nectar provides nourishment, at Florblanca Nectar does the same, with a deliciously diverse menu featuring fresh seafood as well as grilled dishes with Asian influence. Nectar is just one more item on the list of sweet indulgences brought to you by Florblanca, inspired by nature, and perfected by your presence.

Reviews for Florblanca

Florblanca is a beautiful resort, ideally located. The villas are spacious, clean and well designed. Upon arrival we felt like this was going to b an ideal vacation.
Unfortunately, we left feeling that we will not come back.
The issue is a service atmosphere that continuously focuses on generating additional income from guests, while putting the actual customer experience lower in priority. Examples include extra charges for participation in yoga classes, an attempt to convince us to use the (much more expensive) hotel service for bulk laundry and, finally, multiple envelopes waiting on our bed, asking for tips for the concierge, the cleaning staff and for any other special person on staff.
We quickly found ourselves feeling uncomfortable in asking the staff for help, which is a shame... We will not be back.

My husband & I wanted to move to a nicer hotel than the 1 we were in, so he called Florablanco. We knew it from ten years ago when previous owners were gracious & ran a lovely place. My husband called & spoke to the reservation manager, who gave us a price for 4 nights. We stopped by to see the villa that day. Jose, desk receptionist, showed us the villa, but said we would have to move in 2 days due to new bookings, &at a MUCH higher price. He was brusque, & so rude that he made us feel very us unwelcomed; we had to a ask several times to speak to his boss. Finally, we did & she agreed to the price she gave us. That is until Jose, speaking Spanish, bullied her into relenting. They didn't know we understood enough Spanish to get the gist of what they said. Jose is a racist. Money wasn't the issue - no one likes to be lied to & treated badly. We are in the hospitality business in New York City, so we know how professionals should behave. Any place that claims to be a 5 star hotel DOES NOT welcome guests like this - we didn't even want to return for dinner. Villa & rooms not as nice as when it was a 5 star hotel.

We loved Florblanca resort! Its location on the beach in Santa Teresa is ideal, only 5 mins walks from the waves (the hotel provides surf boards, free of charge!). The villas are very spacious and comfortable with the bathroom out in the open! Staff had always a smile on their faces and did an amazing job at making us feel welcome. We enjoyed the spa for a couple massage and suffice to say the facilities are breathtaking!
Last and not least, the star quality of the resort is its restaurant: food was amazingly fresh and delicious whether it be for breakfast, lunch or dinner (we stayed for 4 days and ended up taking all our meals there). The chef is truly talented and surprised us with meals both healthy and creative, with a real creative effort behind each recipe.
I would add the the photos on TripAdvisor don't do justice to the vegetation that has grown a lot since they were taken and made us feel like we had discovered a hidden treasure! Thank you so much!

We didn't stay here but we did have an excellent private table arranged on the beach for my mom and dads 50TH wedding anniversary trip. The food was excellent, Asian inspired and the wine and cocktails outstanding. Our servers were extremely attentive and our experience surrounded by fragrant plumeria trees was epic. Highly recommend.
On another note: they offer yoga, private Pilates and a decent but small gym with weights. My husband and I train for bodybuilding and found this to be only one of two locations with regular weights in the area. They only charge $10 per person per day for usage of the gym and it was close by and well worth it!

As, I said in my first review, we loved our first trip to Florblanca SO MUCH, that we decided to be married there. Our wedding was on April 22 and we brought 26 of our closest family and friends with us. I have no words to even explain what a perfect and magical week we had, all thanks to Cody and her amazing staff and the perfect Pura Vida accommodations at Florblanca.
In my last review, I stated that the staff felt like personal friends by the time we left. Now they feel like family. I could list every employee that made our trip special, but it would literally be every single person. From the amazingly helpful concierge who gladly put up with me coming in their office asking for something every day, helping us with all the outings we wanted to do and organizing our ATV rentals - to the wonderful restaurant/bar staff. Not only did they extend their warmth to us because they knew us from last time, they extended this also to our family and friends. Above and beyond on every level. A week our whole tribe will never ever forget.
Then there's the food. Chef Norman curated a magical rehearsal beach bbq for us - people were RAVING about it!! ...and the wedding food - everything was perfectly executed. My husband is a Chef in LA, so expectations are high. Norman exceeds those expectations every time. My Chef husband will tell you - Norman is talented and his cooking the best food in town. Berneth's cocktails are second to none. I've been craving his housemade ginger beer dark & stormy since I got home! Along with the mango, passionfruit mojito!! THE BEST!
Our wedding was perfect. They catered to our every desire. With the help of Marianne from Bliss Weddings, Jen Harter as the photographer and hair and make up by Paula (highly recommend all of these wonderful ladies) - it was everything I dreamed of and more. Seriously couldn't have had a more perfect day.
Also, not to be forgotten the sweet housekeeping staff who exude love and hospitality every time you encounter them.
Florblanca is now our home away from home. We will definitely visit every year. I could go on and on but to sum it up - It is a special place filled with special people who get the meaning of hospitality.